High school student Samantha Matthews has found the ideal balance between school work and more time with her beloved horses. She left a traditional high school to enroll in Capistrano Unified School District’s Cal Prep Academy. Cal Prep Academy is a virtual learning program that allows Matthews an opportunity for independent study and more time to enter her horses in competitions.

Matthews learns the majority of her subjects through online instruction, and takes just two classes, French and psychology, at her local high school. Matthews is an equitation rider, who is judged on how well she jumps and completes courses. She prefers the flexibility Cal Prep Academy offers compared to a traditional high school setting.

“I’m at the barn everyday,” shared Matthews. “I show, and the show season is about to pick up. I can be gone for weeks at a time and complete my school work on time.”

To succeed in Cal Prep Academy, students need to be self-directed and know how to manage their time well.

“You have to be diligent about getting things done,” said Matthews. “I average about three hours a day online. When I’m not traveling, I can be online for five or six hours a day.”

The Academy offers much latitude in when to complete assignments, but they also have “a pacing guide with due dates,” explained Jolene Dougherty, principal of Cal Prep Academy. Quizzes may be taken online while a student is traveling, but tests are taken at the district office with a proctor in attendance.

Homeschooling has been popular for years with families who travel extensively, or whose children are spending many hours involved in time-intensive sports or extracurricular activities. Virtual learning is a dream come true for parents who embrace the concept of homeschooling, but hesitated to engage in traditional homeschooling because of the high amount of responsibility placed on the parent. Virtual instruction allows parents the role of coach instead of teacher, making it a much more viable option.

Capistrano Unified School District has offered a traditional homeschool curriculum for kindergarten through eighth grade since 1999.

“Many of the families who succeed in this type of program have parents that were former school teachers,” Dougherty said.

The need for a virtual program was clear. “We looked at online programs for years, and it took some time to find a curriculum that met our high standards,” said Dougherty.

The district adopted its virtual curriculum for Transitional Kindergarten through eighth grade in 2011. The following year, its high school equivalent, Cal Prep Academy, was born. The Academy initially was made available to high school freshman and sophomores only. Junior year was included this year, and senior year will be added next year.

With virtual education, parents remain involved in their child’s school work in the elementary school years without the responsibility of being the primary teacher. By middle school, students are growing in independence, and in the high school years, parents are completely hands off.

Online learning is rapidly gaining in popularity, with enrollment jumping by big percentages at Capistrano Unified School District. More than 300 students enrolled this school year in Cal Prep Academy and Capistrano Virtual School combined and next school year, “we’re anticipating another 100 students in the virtual program,” said Meg Ervais, administrator of Capistrano Virtual School.

Part of its attraction is that both Cal Prep Academy and Capistrano Virtual School offer a blended learning experience in which students may take a few classes at their resident school, along with their online studies.

Any subject may be taken at their local school; elective classes such as art, music and foreign languages being the most popular. Seventy-five percent of the students choose to take some courses at their local school, and benefit from the camaraderie by being involved in their sports teams, music program, art classes and after-school clubs.

Cal Prep Academy and Capistrano Virtual School are located in the former Capistrano Unified School District building. A computer lab is available for student use. In fact, students often alternate between doing their studies at home, on the road or at the district office. A credentialed teacher, specializing in each subject, is available to high school students, and the Capistrano Virtual School also offers a teacher onsite to answer questions, and help with class work.

Because homeschooling families often participate in activities together, field trips for this group of students are actually family excursions. Parents and siblings are all invited to join in. Weekly science labs and foreign languages are offered, which are similar to the ones available in a traditional school setting.

All the classes offered through the virtual learning program are aligned with common core standards, and the college-bound students in the Cal Prep Academy receive guidance from an academic advisor. Coursework is rigorous, and Advanced Placement (AP) classes are also offered.

Technology has made the benefits of homeschooling so much easier to attain. It offers families the flexibility to design the lifestyle that brings them the greatest joy. “I love it that I don’t have to wait until 3 p.m., when my former school ended, to be with my horses,” said Matthews.

A blended program, in which one can learn both online and in a traditional classroom setting, makes this type of schooling even more appealing.

Virtual learning for all grade levels is a concept rapidly gaining in popularity and one that will likely become much more common in the years to come. Parent preview dates for Capistrano Virtual School and Cal Prep Academy will be offered April-June at the district office.

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